“Proceed with the November Election” Says Moonlighting Mediator, Part Time Costa Rican Prez and Sometimes US Envoy

Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias is known as the US’ man in Latin America. It is for this reason that the US chose Arias to be the mediator between constitutional president, Mel Zelaya and de facto regime leader and presidential place holder, Roberto Micheletti.

Arias has just announced that he supports having the November 29 presidential elections as a way to “avoid isolating the de facto regime.” Arias is in Miami presently, but on Monday in a conversation with Micheletti, Arias says that Micheletti agreed to lift the state of siege if elections could go forward. Now this is “quid pro quoing” at its best. Micheletti will drop the decree if Arias will endorse the elections. You don’t need to call the State Department to ask what they think. When Arias’ mouth moves, State Department policy rolls out.

One last thing, what’s the moonlighting mediator, part-time prez, and US envoy doing in Miami and does it have anything to do with Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s trip to Honduras?

Costa Rica’s president Oscar Arias called on the international community to collaborate with Honduras November presidential election, avoiding isolating the de facto regime, thus helping to find a way out to the current crisis.

Costa Rica president Oscar Arias mediator of the conflict Costa Rica president Oscar Arias mediator of the conflict

“The worst that can happen is to isolate Honduras”, said Arias who insisted the international community must do its outmost to ensure the electoral process takes place.

President Arias who is acting as a mediator in the Honduras crisis since the ousting of elected President Manuel Zelaya last June, called on both sides of the conflict to sign and abide by his proposal which contemplates the reinstatement of Zelaya and an amnesty for the military involved in his ousting.

Arias currently in Miami said that last Monday he was on the phone with interim Honduran president Roberto Micheletti who told him he was willing to lift the decree imposing a state of siege so the electoral process could advance.

“He agreed with me that without individual rights and constitutional guarantees suspended no electoral campaign can take place”, said Arias.

“The worst that can happen to Honduras is that a majority of countries do not recognize the winner of elections scheduled for November 29”, he emphasized.

Meanwhile the main business organization of Honduras proposed a plan which reinstates Zelaya, with limited powers, and the deployment of a multinational force to ensure peace and transparency of the whole electoral process.”

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I think the current plan is to hold the repression and fascism and suspension in place JUST long enough for the US to begin to object in more than a whisper, then to lift the restrictions in a very limited way (still keeping opposition media off the air) and then allowing 3 weeks or so for an “election” campaign that Obama and the right wingers in the US will ratify and AP and Reuters will command the American people that it’s time to “move on” that now there is a democratic government in place now.

I think you are completely on target. The state of siege will remain on long enough to put certain groups and representatives of the Resistance in jail under the kind of charges that will keep them there for a long time. Hauling the folks from the National Agrarian Institute off to jail on sedition charges is just the beginning. Obviously, the intention of the regime, in picking up targeted groups and individuals, is to make sure that they stay in the slammer beyond November elections and probably beyond the inauguration of the the new “president.” The golpistas are going to have to run a “serene” looking election and for the next few weeks, they will be putting folks in jail who threaten this concept.

One other thing. So many people say what a screw-up Micheletti is and how erratic his behavior is. Bullshit. Micheletti is a brilliant actor. While the world was saying what a fool he is, he was executing his job masterfully. His antics, such as telling the OAS to go to hell numerous times, were designed to wind down a clock and, with it, the hopes of the people of Honduras. Other than the State Department, Micheletti’s two biggest collaborators are Oscar Arias and Jose Migule Insulza.